Frozen (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Frozen


Artist = Madonna
from Album = Ray of Light
B-side = "Shanti/Ashtangi"
Released = February 23, 1998 (Europe)
March 4, 1998 (U.S.)
Format = CD, cassette, 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded = 1997
Length = 6:10 (Album Version)
5:08 (Radio Edit)
Genre = Ethereal
Label = Maverick, Warner Bros.
Writer = Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Producer = Madonna, William Orbit, Patrick Leonard
Last single = "Another Suitcase in Another Hall"
(1997)
This single = "Frozen"
(1998)
Next single = "Ray of Light"
(1998)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Ray of Light
Type = studio
prev_track = "Shanti/Ashtangi"
prev_no = 8
this_track = "Frozen"
track_no = 9
next_track = "The Power of Good-Bye"
next_no = 10Extra tracklisting
Album = GHV2
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Beautiful Stranger" (William Orbit Radio Edit)
prev_no = 8
this_track = "Frozen" (Edit)
track_no = 9
next_track = "Take a Bow" (Edit)
next_no = 10Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = studio


Lower caption = Spanish promo CD single cover

"Frozen" is a pop song by American singer Madonna from her 1998 album "Ray of Light", written and produced by Madonna, Patrick Leonard and William Orbit. The song was released as a single in February 1998.

ong information

"Frozen" was a radical change for Madonna. The darker electronic undertones, eastern strings arranged by Craig Armstrong, a touch of Middle Eastern percussion in the opening and her new vocal range were all previously unexplored territory for her. However, the song was a huge success and is praised as being one of her best songs. Its success worldwide also marks it as one of Madonna's biggest hits ever. The song was mainly composed in A flat major.

"Frozen" also marked the beginning of a series of remixes which were done during the "Ray of Light" era. For the first time Madonna was working with Victor Calderone, who went on to remix most of her follow-up singles. His club-mix of "Frozen" is a favorite of most fans. The same goes for the remix done by the Stereo MCs. Their remix was used by Madonna on her 2001 Drowned World Tour. Madonna also performed "Frozen" on her 2004 Re-Invention Tour.

In 2003, Madonna fans were asked to vote for their Top 20 Madonna singles of all-time by "Q-Magazine". "Frozen" was allocated the #10 spot.

Plagiarism

On November 18, 2005, a Belgian judge seated in Mons ruled that the opening four-bar theme to "Frozen" was plagiarized from the song "Ma vie fout le camp" [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti1GiPT7mC4&feature=related YouTube - Alain Barriere - Ma vie ] ] , composed by Salvatore Acquaviva of Mouscron. The judge subsequently ordered the withdrawal from sales of all remaining discs, and forbade any further playing of the song on Belgian TV and radio under wide protest of the Belgian population. "Frozen" was a chart topper in Belgium and widely popular. Many radio and tv-stations and their audience stated that "Frozen" was loved, while the supposedly plagiarized song was unknown and disliked. The judge also ordered Warner, EMI and Sony to publish and spread the decision within fifteen days to various media outlets on pain of a penalty of €125,000 for non-compliance with the court order. No damages were granted. [ [http://misc.skynet.be/index.html?l1=actuality&l2=today&l3=all&l4=home&a=viewmessage&p1=44676 http://misc.skynet.be/index.html?l1=actuality&l2=today&l3=all&l4=home&a=viewmessage&p1=44676] "Misc.skynet.be" Dead link|date=March 2008] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4449580.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4449580.stm] "News.bbc.co.uk" ]

Chart Performance

"Frozen" topped the charts in some countries worldwide, but it peaked at #2 in mostly the rest of the world, being held off from the top position in the majority of them by Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". It peaked at #2 in the United States, being held off the top spot by K-Ci and JoJo's "All My Life".

In the UK, despite sporadically high sales of singles such as "You'll See" (a #5 hit in 1995) and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (a #3 success), "Frozen" was seen as the "big comeback" for Madonna, and became her first ever single to debut at number-one, selling 508,296 copies. It was Madonna's first UK chart-topper since "Vogue" in 1990. "Frozen" spent eleven weeks at #2 in the European Singles Chart.

Music video

Madonna traveled to the Indian Well Valley of the Mojave Desert in California to shoot the music video for "Frozen" from January 7-10, 1998. It was directed by Chris Cunningham, and was inspired by the movies "The English Patient" and "The Sheltering Sky". Madonna walks about the desert wearing a flowing black dress and her hands painted with Henna ink. The video also contains stunning special effects of Madonna changing into a murder of crows and a Doberman, which won an MTV Video Music Award for "Best Special Effects" in 1998. The cinematography was done by Darius Khondji, who also shot Madonna's 1993 music video "Fever", and the 1996 film "Evita".

The video premiered on February 12, 1998 in Europe and on MTV four days later. There were also two remix videos of "Frozen" released that same year by Dan-O-Rama titled "Stereo MC's Mix" and "Calderone Club Mix".

The video was parodied by Australian comedienne Gina Riley in an episode of the short-lived sketch show "Something Stupid".

*Director: Chris Cunningham
*Producer: Nick Wrathall
*Director of Photography: Darius Khondji
*Editor: Gary Knight
*Production Company: Black Dog Films

Track listings and formats

;US 7" vinyl (7-17244) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/669541 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;US CD single (9 17244-2) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/684467 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;EU CD single (5439-17224-9) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/153586 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;JP CD single (WPCR-1791) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/688376 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;SP promo CD single (1 17244-2 01) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/1315777 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;UK cassette single (W0433C) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/721466 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
*A "Frozen" (Album Version) — 6:10
*B "Shanti/Ashtangi" — 4:29

;US 12" promo vinyl (PRO-A-9254-A) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/454148 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
*A1 "Frozen" (William Orbit Widescreen Mix) — 6:34
*A2 "Frozen" (William Orbit Drumapella) — 5:15
*B "Frozen" (Victor Calderone Drumapella) — 5:09

;US 12" vinyl (9362 43993 0) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/78472 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
*A1 "Frozen" (Album Version) — 6:10
*A2 "Frozen" (Stereo MC's Remix) — 5:45
*B1 "Frozen" (Extended Club Mix) — 11:17
*B2 "Frozen" (Meltdown Mix) — 8:09

;US promo CD single (PRO-CD-9182) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/683655 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
# "Frozen" (Radio Edit) — 5:08
# "Frozen" (Album Version) — 6:10
# "Frozen" (Call Out Research Hook)

;US promo CD single (PRO-CD-9254-R) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/746930 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
# "Frozen" (Stereo MC's Remix Edit) — 4:52
# "Frozen" (Extended Club Mix Edit) — 4:55
# "Frozen" (Radio Edit) — 5:08;US Maxi-CD (9 43993-2) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/74023 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
# "Frozen" (Album Version) — 6:10
# "Frozen" (Stereo MC's Remix) — 5:45
# "Frozen" (Extended Club Mix) — 11:17
# "Frozen" (Meltdown Mix) — 8:09

;EU 12" vinyl (9362 43991 0) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/63089 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;UK 12" vinyl (W 0433 T) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/249501 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
*A "Frozen" (Extended Club Mix) — 11:17
*B1 "Frozen" (Stereo MC's Remix) — 5:45
*B2 "Frozen" (Meltdown Mix) — 8:09

;EU promo CD single (PRCD 1007) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/690767 Madonna - Frozen ] ]
# "Frozen" (Radio Edit) — 5:08
# "Frozen" (Album Version) — 6:10

;UK CD single (W 0433 CD) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/35527 Madonna - Frozen ] ] ;JP Maxi-CD (WPCR-1846) [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/688372 Madonna - Frozen (Remixes) ] ]
# "Frozen" (Album Version) — 6:10
# "Frozen" (Stereo MC's Remix) — 5:45
# "Frozen" (Meltdown Mix) — 8:09
# "Frozen" (Extended Club Mix) — 11:17
# "Frozen" (Widescreen Mix) — 6:33

Official versions

* Album Version (6:10)
* Radio Edit (5:08) (Promo Only)
* Call Out Research Hook (Promo Only)
* Stereo MC's Mix (5:45)
* Stereo MC's Mix Edit (4:56) (Promo Only)
* Extended Club Mix (11:17)
* Extended Club Edit (4:41) (Promo Only)
* Victor Calderone Drum-A-Pella (5:07) (Promo Only)
* Meltdown Mix (8:09)
* Meltdown Short Mix (4:53) (Promo Only)
* William Orbit Drum-A-Pella (5:14) (Promo Only)
* Widescreen Mix (6:33)
* Video Edit (5:20)

Charts and certifications

References

External links

* [http://www.madonna.com/ Madonna] — official web site.
* [http://www.mad-eyes.net/disco/rol/frozen.htm Mad-Eyes.net - "Frozen" Single Page]
* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=9xtYEX9KDwY] The HQ video for "Frozen" on YouTube.